Device for removing seals from water wells and other purposes



June 3, 1952 J. B.MURPHY 2,598,930

DEVICE FOR REMOVING SEALS FROM WATER WELLS AND OTHER PURPOSES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 2', 1947 INVENTOR. JOHN B. MURPHY BY 6 HIS ATTORNQYS June 3, 1952 J. B. MURPHY 2,598,930

- DEVICE FOR REMOVING SEALS FROM WATER WELLS AND OTHER PURPOSES Filed Dec. 2, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.2. 22

i l l .E FIG. 2A. 35 FIG. 28.

i i 1 1100 26 so I 1 34 I 26 v as, 24' a; t I \e I F ,7 l2 2 I l 3/ 2O 2L 28 28 i i 12 1' '1 I i? INVENTOR. JOHN B. MURPHY HIS ATTORNEYS.

June 3, 1952 MURPHY 2,598,930

Filed Dec. 2, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

JOHN B. MURPHY a fiie, WM Hm HIS ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 3, 1952 DEVICE FOR "REMOVING SEALS FROM WATER -WELLS AND OTHER PURPOSES John B. Murphy, 'Freeport, N. Y., assignor to American -Water Works Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporationof .Delaware Application December 2, 19.47,-Serial No. 789,317

.. Claims.

The present invention relates to apparatus for removingliguid seals and the .like from .a casedwell, and :more particularly to new :and improvedapparatus of 'this character which is readily adapted-toother purposes in wells.

Water -wells, for example, are usually lined withmetalcasing .which extends from the surfaceof1the earth1to the level'of a water bearing formation. Generally several telescoping sections of casing-of different diameters are-used, the uppermost casing section having the greatest diameter. 'zIn so-called telescope pattern wellsof this type, water seals are frequently usedat points of reductionin casing-size topreventatherintrusion' of salt water or other foreign matter.

.Onetype of seal :comprisesa metal reducing sleeve having a lower portion of reduced diameter-which extends into a lower casing section of reduced diameter. A rubber collar is interposed between'thereduced portion-of the-sleeve and the top of the .lower casing section and the sleeve isheld in; position-.by. a wooden ring driv- -en intothespace-between theupper end of the sleeve and the adjacent upper casing section of greater diameter.

.Heretofore, if 1 either the casing or the seal failed,=it:was practically impossible tomake necessary-repairs because theseals, afteruse-for a considerable period, could not effectively be removed.

Itisian objectof -.-the invention, accordingly, to provide novel apparatus for removingliquid seals and the like froma well.

Another object is to provide new and .improved apparatus of the/above character which :can easilyenter .a liquid sealand can be adjusted to apply-a lifting force. to. theseal.

A- further .object .of l the, invention is to pro- =vide new. and improved apparatus of the: above character having means preventing it from pass- .ing' completely through; a well: seal, whereby a downward blow may be applied to said seal.

. Still. another-object of. the. invention, istov pro- -vi-de.:.new..and. improved apparatus of the above port=adabted to be lowered intoa bore hole and of such size that it can freely enter a liquid seal. The support carries a plurality of ilaterally,movable arms that are normally .maintained a minimum distance apart but can be extended outwardly a suflicient distance to prevent the apparatus from being withdrawn from the'seal. The support also preferably carries a plurality of radially extending fins of such size as to preventtheir passage through the lower, reduceddiameter portion of a liquid seal.

Preferably, the fins and the movable arms are longitudinally spaced apart on the support a sufficient distance so that upward and downward blows, respectively, will be applied to the seal when the apparatus-is reciprocated-inthe Well. Means are also provided whereby extensionand withdrawal of the lateral arms can be controlled from the surface of the earth.

By relatively simple modification, the seal pulling apparatus can also be readily adapted for-other purposes in a well such as cutting or threading casing, for example.

The invention may be better understood from the following detailed description of several representative embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. lis a View in longitudinal section of a seal pulling device constructed according to the invention,. shown in operative position in a water-well,v for example;

Fig; 2 is an enlarged view in longitudinal section of the portion of the water well between the lines Aand B in Fig. 1;

:Figs..2A. and 2B are views in transverse section taken along lines 2A-2A and 23-23 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a View in transverse section showing apparatus constructed according touthe invention for cutting the casing in a water well, for example; and

'Fig. 4 isv a View in transverse section showing apparatus according to the invention for cutting threads in a casing coupling or in a string of casing.

Referring now to Fig. 1, a bore hole lnis shown drilled into the earth and lined with a string of easing comprising, for example, an upper sectionll of relatively large diameter, .an intermediate section l2 of smaller diameter and a bottom section I I3 of ,smaller diameter formed with perforations [4 at the level of a water bearing formation. l5, for example. ,While three casingsections ll, [2 and [3 are shown rin'Fig..1, wells of this type. may have eithera greater or lesser number of easing sections of difierent diameter, as needed.

In order to prevent the intrusion of salt water or other foreign material, for example, into the well, it is customary to seal off the casing at the points where the casing is reduced from one diameter to a smaller diameter.

One form of seal that is commonly used comprises a reducing sleeve l6 having a lower necked portion ll of reduced diameter which is adapted to extend within the upper end of the lower casing section l2, as shown in greater detail in Fig. 2. A collar l8, of rubber or other suitable material, is interposed between the reducing sleeve l6 and the upper end of the casing section l2 and is held tightly in place by means of a packer I9, usually made of wood, which is driven into the space between the upper end of the reducing sleeve I6 and the adjacent interior Wall of the casing section ll of larger diameter.

After seals of this type have been in place for a period of years, it has been found almost impossible to remove them to repair a leak or to renew a section of casing.

According to the invention, a novel seal pulling device is provided which is capable of removing a seal of this type efiectively and in a relatively short period of time. As shown in Fig. 2, the seal pulling device 20 may comprise, for example, a substantially cylindrical casing 2| which may be lowered into the well It) in any convenient manner, as, for example, on a string of pipe 22 supported at the surface of the earth by a conventional type cable drilling rig 23 (Fig. 1). The diameter of the casing 2| is made smaller than the diameter of the necked portion ll of the reducing sleeve IE, but a number of fins 24 of greater diameter than the necked portion H are mounted on the upper portion of the casing 2|. With this construction, the lower portion of the casing 2| can be lowered through the necked portion H but the entire device 20 cannot pass through because of the fins 24. i

In the lower portion of the casing 2| are formed a plurality of longitudinally extending slots 25 (Fig. 23) within which a plurality of arms26 are pivotally mounted at 21 for lateral movement. I The arms 26 are provided with lugs 28 at the upper ends thereof, which prevent them from falling out of the slots 25, and also carry downwardly and inwardly extending members 26a.

Each of the arms 26 is provided with an inner surface 29 which is adapted to cooperate with a disk-like member 30 secured on a rod 31 to extend or withdraw the arms 26 in the slots 25, as desired. To this end, the rod 3| is connected by a string of pipe 32, for example, within the string of pipe 22 to the drilling rig 23 at the surface of the earth by means of which it may be raised or lowered, as desired. When the rod 3| is lowered, its bottom end 3|a. engages the members 26a on the arms 26, thereby moving the latter to the retracted position. When the rod 3| is raised, the disk-like member 36 thereon moves the arms 26 outwardly to the extended position shown in full lines. in Fig.2. V

V The. rod 3| is preferably provided with any suitable type of latch 33 which, when turned by the pipe 32, is adapted to cooperate with a ledge 34 formed within the casing 2| for the purpose of latching the disk-like member 30 in its uppermost position, as shown in Fig. 2.

In operation, removal of a seal of the general type described above is accomplished according to the invention by first removing the plug l9. This may be done in any known manner as, for example, by cutting it out with a tubular sawtooth cutter of conventional type commonly used for this purpose. The seal pulling apparatus is then lowered within the casing II with the rod 3| in its lowermost position so that the disk-like member 30 is at the lower end of the cam-like surface 29, and the arms 26 are retained within the casing 2|, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The lowering of the apparatus is continued until the lower portion of the casing 2| has passed through the necked portion I! of the reducing sleeve I6 and the fins 24 rest upon the necked portion IT, as shown in Fig. 2 The rod 3| is then raised by pulling upon the string of pipe 32 at the surface of the earth. This moves the arms 26 outwardly to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. In this position, the arms 26 underlie the lower edge of the necked portion I1 and prevent the apparatus from being withdrawn through the reducing sleeve Hi. The rod 3| is then latched in this position by rotatin the string of pipe 32 at the surface of the earth until the latch 33 lies over the ledge 34.

The slack is then taken up on the supporting cable in the drilling rig 23 until the upper edges of the arms 26 engage the lower edge of the necked portion I! of the reducing sleeve H5. The slack is further taken up until the compression spring of the walking beam 35 is fully compressed at the upper end of its stroke. For a compression spring rated at 6 tons at full compression, for example, the force of the spring, plus the inertia of the moving seal pulling apparatus 20 and the supporting string of pipe 22 causes a substantial blow to be struck on the reducing sleeve l6 at the lower edge of its necked portion By letting slack out on the supporting cable in the drilling rig 23, the guiding fins 24 on the casing 2| strike a downward blow on the reducing sleeve |6 that has the total weight of the seal pulling apparatus and the string of casing 22 behind it. By reciprocating the apparatus 3| in the well in the manner described above for a suflicient period of time, the reducing sleeve I6 is eventually free and can be removed intact from the well.

It will be understood that the fins 24 and the arms 26 should be properly designed both as to size, shape and'materials so as to' be able to withstand without damage the pounding applied to a seal.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings, an apparatus is shown which enables the well 'casing' to be cut preparatory to the removal of a section from the well, for example. In this embodiment, the apparatus may be substantially the same as in Fig. 2 except that the arms 26' are provided with cutting wheels 36 which are rotably mounted on longitudinal axes in slots 31. The arms 26 may be connected by means of links 38 to a carriage member 39 threadedly mounted on lead screw 4|! formed at the bottom end of the rod 3|. The lower end of the rod 3| may be unthreaded and may extend through a transverse memberll'secured to the casing 2|. The rod 3| may be secured to the transverse member 4| in any suitable manner as, for example, by means of the'lock nuts 42, as shown.

In the form of the apparatus shownin Fig; 3, the apparatus is lowered within a well casing to the desired level andfthe string of pipe 32 is'rotated'in'the proper direction to cause the arms- 26' to move outwardly until the cutting wheels 36 are in engagement with the casing." When thisposition is reached, the casingmay be cut by rotating the cylindrical casing Ii -by means of the string of pipe '*22,"for example.-

'The'form of the invention-shown in Fig. 4 enables threads to be out within a casing or with-- ma coupling.- Here again, the apparatus is essentially'the same as that-shown" in Fig. 2 except that the'outer edges of the arms 26 are provided with thread-cutting die portions 43; In operation, the apparatus is lowered into a well with the disk-like member 30 in its lowermost position so that thethread cutting die portions 43of the arms 26 are out 'of engagement with the casing. When the apparatus is at the proper level in the wellythe-disk-like member is raisedby the rod 3| until the thread cutting die portions 43 are i the forms of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Further, the latching device 33, of Fig. 2 is not necessary in the apparatus of Fig. 3.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the invention provides a novel'and highly effective device for pulling seals in wells drilled in the earth. By'virtue of the construction described and illustrated herein, the seal pulling apparatus maybe readily lowered partially through the seal and the arms extended so as to enable heav'y blows to b'e-applied above andbelow the'necked portion "of the seal. The apparatus is further susceptible of easy modification for other uses in a well, such as, for example, cutting casing or threading casing, as desired.

Obviously, the several specific embodiments described above can be modifiedfwithin the Sp rit of the invention. The general-sizes and shapes ofthe parts may be varied as necessary to suit conditionsin a particular well and any suitable materials may be used. Instead of supporting the apparatus on the string of pipe, as shown in Fig. 1, obviously it might be carried by a cable of sufiicient strength for this purpose. The several forms disclosed herein have been given merely by way of illustration and are susceptible of numerous changes in form and detail within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for use in a well or the like, the combination of a body adapted to be lowered into a Well, said body having a lower portion that can pass through an opening of given diameter and an upper portion that is incapable of passing through said opening, a plurality of radially extensible and retractable arms pivotally mounted at said body lower portion, each of said arms extending upwardly from its pivot to a flat striking surface disposed substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the well and having a member extending inwardly and downwardly from said pivot, an actuator member having portions engaging the inner edges of said arms for moving said arms to extended positions when the actuator member is raised relatively to the body, and having another portion adapted to engage said inwardly extending members when the actuator member is lowered relatively to the body to move them outwardly, thereby moving said arms to retracted positions with respect to the body when the actuator member is lowered rela tively to thebody, means for operating-said actuatormember"from' the entrance to the well, releasable latching means for securing'said actuator member to the body in the position to maintain said arms extended, and me'ansfor lifting said bodyin the'welltocause said armsfto deliver a blow toan element in the well.- v

2. In'apparatus for use in'a wel-l'or'the like,

the combination of a body adaptedto be lowered into a well; a'plurality of radially extensible and retractable arms pivotally mounted on said body, each of said arms extending upwardly from its pivot to an upper blow delivering edge disposed substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the body and having a member-extending-downwardly and inwardly from-said'pivot, lug means formedat the upperends of eacli'of said arms 1 and adapted 'tocooperate with said body to limit radial extension'ofsaid arms, an actuator memberin the body} said actuator member'havin'g -radially extendingportions adapted when 'raisedt'o en'gagethe inner edges of said arms to-mov'e said arms to extended position, and having a downwardly extending --portionadapted when lowered to engage the downwardly and inwardly extending members on thearms to move said arms to retractedposition, means operablefrom the surface of the earth for raising and lowering said actuator member, and releasable latching means for securing said actuator member to the body inthe position to maintain said arms extended.

"3. In apparatus for removing a casing element in a-well or the like, the combination of a body adapted to be lowered into 'a well, a plurality of radialfin members secured on thebody, each or saidfin membershaving a lower blow-delivering edge disposed substantially perpendicularly to'the longitudinal axis of the body, said fin members projecting radially a sufiicient distance to prevent p'assagethereof through, said'casing element, a plurality of radially extensible and retractable arms pivotally mounted on thebody below said fin members and spaced apart therefrom, each of said arms extending upwardly from its pivot to an upper blow delivering edge disposed substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the body and having a member extending downwardly and inwardly from said pivot, lug means formed at the upper ends of each of said arms and adapted to cooperate with said body to limit radial extension of said arms, an actuator member in the body, said actuator member having radially extending portions adapted when raised to engage the inner edges of said arms to move said arms to extended position, and having a downwardly extending portion adapted when lowered to engage the downwardly and inwardly extending members on the arms to move said arms to retracted position, means operable from the surface of the earth for raising and lowering said actuator member, said arms in retracted position being capable of passage through said casing element but being incapable of passage through the casing element when extended, releasable latching means for securing said actuator member to the body in the liver a blow to said element in the well, and for .4.'In apparatus for use in, a well or the like,

the combination of arbody adaptedto be lowered;

into a well on a string of pipe or the like, said body having a pluralityof longitudinally extending slots therein angularly spaced about the longi tudinal axis thereof, a plurality of arms pivotally mounted on the body for lateral movement in said slots, each of said arms being formed so as to diverge upwardlyjrom its pivot point to a flat, upper blow-delivering edge .disposed sub;

tractor means formed on each of-said arms, and. arm'actuator means suspended in said' well ona supportextending to the surface of the earth,

said'armactuator means comprisinga disc-like portion adapted, when raised with respect to the, body, to cooperate. with the inner edges of said arms to extend them laterally from the body,

and'arod-like portion adapted, when lowered;

with} respect to the body, to engage said retractor means on thearms to retract them from their extended position. I j I 5. In apparatus for removing acasing element in a'well or the like, the combination of a body adapted tobe lowered into a well on a string of pipe or the like, a plurality of longitudinally extending fins secured to the body and angularly spaced about the longitudinal axis thereof, said projecting radially a sufiicient distance to prevent passage thereof through said casing element, means forming a plurality of longitudinally extending slots in the body below said fins, said slots, being angularly spaced about the longitudinal axis of the body, a plurality of armspivotally mounted on the body for lateral movement in said slots, each of said arms being formed so as -to diverge upwardly from its pivot point to a fiat, upper blow-delivering edge disposed substantially perpendicularly to the axis of the body, lug means on the upper ends of each of said arms and disposed within said body so as to form stop means limiting transverse movement of said 8% arms, downwardly and inwardly extending retractor means formed oneach of saidv arms, arm actuator ,means suspended in said well on a support extending to the surfaceof the earth, said arm actuator. means comprising a disc-like portion adapted, .when raised with respect to the body, to cooperate with the inner edges of, said armsto, extend them laterally from the body, and axed-like portion adapted, when lowered with respect to thebody, to engage said retractor means on the arms to retract them from their extended position, said arms in, retracted positionbeing capable of passage through said casing element but being incapable of passage through the casing element when extended, latching means for securing said arm actuator means releasably to the body in the position to maintain said arms extended, and means for lifting and dropping said string ,of pipe so as to cause the extended arms and said fins to deliver blows to saidelement in thewell. Y

- 1 JOHN B. ,MURPHY.

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